Chapter 2

When he arrived back at his house, Ellis Tanner was getting into his car. The new owners were nowhere to be seen.

“Oh, hello,” said Ellis, noticing Cody approach.

“Hello. All finished?”

“All finished. I’ve left a yellow envelope on your kitchen table. There are a couple of things to sign. Drop them into the office next time you’re in town.”

“How long have I got to move out?”

“Depends on the settlement. It should be sometime in the next two to four weeks. They’ll probably want to move in immediately, so let’s say you’ve got a fortnight. You’re happy with the outcome?”

Cody gave a half-nod. “I’m happy with the final price, yes.”

“Good. Good.” Ellis leaned forward, proffering his hand. “We’ll be in touch.”

Cody shook his hand and watched as Ellis got back into his car, reversed down the driveway, and drove away.

He faced his house, which now, for all intents and purposes, belonged to someone else. It was a bizarre feeling. His home of the past fourteen years was now just a house, a place to stay until other arrangements could be made.

Even the interior felt different. Every room was familiar, filled with familiar possessions and treasured memories, yet he couldn’t help but feel as though he was trespassing in some small way, invading someone else’s space. He stood silently in the lounge room, staring into thin air, not a single thought in his head. For a few seconds, he felt himself disappear from the world.

The task ahead seemed overwhelming. There was a lot to get done in a short amount of time. As he was probably going to be renting for the foreseeable future, there was a lot of furniture he wanted to get rid of.

* * * *

To that end, the following day, he placed an advertisement in the local classified newspaper. Piece by piece, the advertised items were eventually snapped up by eager bargain hunters, and at the end of the week, he held a garage sale to sell smaller items of furniture, knickknacks, and various odds and ends for which he no longer had any use, as well as anything he hadn’t sold through the classified advertisement. The sale brought in much-needed extra cash.

Everything else he wrapped in newspaper and packed into boxes. Packing, he realised, was a meditative experience. It allowed him time to consider his options. One thing was an absolute done deal. Before he signed the lease on a rental property, he wanted to get away from it all, clear his mind and take time to figure things out. His first thought was to go on a cruise. To Fiji. Or around the Mediterranean. But cruises were expensive. He could probably afford it once the money from his house came through, but it would gobble up the lot and he’d need at least something to live on until he could get back on his feet.

No. Instead, he’d buy some camping gear and drive to the vast forests of the northwest. A place where he could really escape. No people. No cell phone service. It would be stress-free and restorative. He’d cleanse his soul and be better able to consider his future. 2

Four weeks had passed since the auction. It was the beginning of summer and Cody had arrived in the carpark by the Department of Forestry’s northwestern information office. After hefting his overstuffed backpack out of the trunk, he locked the car and headed towards the trees. He had a map of the area tucked into one of the pockets on his backpack, the inside of which contained clothing, some food, some water, some fishing tackle and hooks, along with essentials such as water-proof matches, a penknife, and toilet paper. There was also a pop up tent, a sleeping mat, and a sleeping bag attached. It almost weighed as much as he did, but what could he do? After he had packed it the first time and realised how heavy it was, he had unpacked everything to see what he could eliminate from his load. There wasn’t a single thing. Each time he considered leaving out a particular item, he imagined what it would be like to be in the wilderness without it and it was promptly returned to the backpack.

He entered the forest through the gated entrance and followed a path bordered on each side by bracken fern and low-growing shrubs. He was immediately taken by the silence. There was the occasional bird call, but aside from that, nothing. No car engines, no talking, no constant whirring of air conditioners. The silence, while at first unsettling, soon revealed its healing powers and Cody felt his soul begin to smile.

He had been walking for half an hour when he became aware he was no longer alone. There were voices. Two of them, and they were getting closer. When he caught sight of the two hikers, ahead on the track and walking towards him, he felt a small frown materialise on his forehead.